


Twinsies <3

by Darkhymns



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Crushes, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 09:43:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16762636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhymns/pseuds/Darkhymns
Summary: Colette's falls aren't new at all, but when Lloyd has the brilliant idea of giving her his clothes, she can't reject it. Now if only those cute ribbons didn't trip her...





	Twinsies <3

**Author's Note:**

> Literally saw [this,](https://imgur.com/a/uVDffuW) and I had to write it because... I never knew. I NEVER KNEW.
> 
> The twinsies costume is officially even better, thank you.

_Oh no, not again!_

It was very déjà vu for Colette when she felt her foot slip off the makeshift bridge to fall to the river below. She saw both Lloyd and Dirk’s eyes widen as it happened, but each of them too far to catch her before the inevitable happened.

This may have been… the 36th time? Give or take. On the few occasions she had ever been able to sneak away to Lloyd’s home, her most daring obstacle was always the river and the boughs that hovered over it, covered with moss to make the footing more slippery than it needed to be. Dirk had said before that he would craft a real bridge someday, but Colette always politely declined it – it really wasn’t so bad. And besides, she didn’t want him to put in extra work when she eventually wouldn’t be around to visit…

Coughing up water, Colette nimbly climbed back on land before Lloyd could even go to her to help her up.

“Are you okay?” he said. He always made his worries sound so new, and not just the usual thing that forever happened to Colette.

“I- I’m fine, thanks!” No injuries of the sort, but she was soaked. Her dress hung over her so heavily now, and her boots sloshed with water. She’d have to sit in front of the fireplace again… and probably make everyone wait before she was ready to go. She didn’t have any other spare outfits at the moment. If only she wasn’t so careless.

Dirk walked up behind Lloyd and made the usual grumble when he was thinking. Colette was used to that sound a lot, usually when she had little mishaps like this. “I’ll go set up the firewood for ya.”

Lloyd shook his head. His eyes were suddenly really alert – Colette could already tell that this meant he had an idea that he couldn’t wait to show off! “Nah, I got a way to solve this. Come here!” He was already rushing back to the door, gesturing for Colette to follow.

“Oh?” She blinked. Her hair was still dripping water droplets to the grass, and she shivered from the wind. Being indoors, despite not knowing what Lloyd wanted, sounded more appealing than just standing out here. “Uh, yeah! Coming!”

“What yer up to?” asked Dirk, folding his brawny arms. Lloyd waved off any concerns.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! Colette, hurry!” Lloyd was already opening the door, his excitement a bit infectious. Colette was rushing after him into the house, leaving the dwarf scratching his head.

“What are we…?” She stopped as Lloyd stood in the center of his house, hands on his hips. The metalworking tools in the far-left corner was still smoking from a past project, the window next to it wide open to let out some of the heat. Some tools littered the floor nearby, and as she looked up, she could swear there was even more ivy growing on the ceiling beams than before! It had only been a few months since she had seen this place, but it also felt so comforting to be within its walls again, to be standing here with Lloyd, alive and well.

She suddenly wanted to express this to him, even in her wet outfit. Although now she was definitely getting the floor wet too… even if the part of the floor that she stood on was of dirt and not the wooden boards where the dining table was. She faced him again, swallowing. “Lloyd, I-”

And then Lloyd unbuttoned his jacket both _immediately_ and _fast._ “Ker-yoink!”

Colette could already feel the blood rushing to her face.

“Lloyd! What are you- hey!” She squeaked as Lloyd just threw his jacket straight at her. She caught it reflexively in her arms, miraculously not tripping over herself again.

“What? Something wrong?” Lloyd asked with complete genuine curiosity. And he did so while starting to strip off his pants.

“This is embarrassing!” Of course, even as she said this, she didn’t exactly turn away. It was a big room, and he was still very near her and it would probably be rude to do so since he didn’t tell her to not look at him? Yeah, that was her reasoning.

“What’s the ruckus?” boomed a familiar voice from past the front door. “What’s happened to her?”

“Nothing, dad!” Lloyd was hopping on one foot, his unclasped belts already on the floor. The pants came off much easier once he remembered to take off his shoes. “Okay, that’s the last of it!” And then he threw his last bit of clothing at Colette once more.

Now he was just standing there in the middle of his room in nothing but his boxers. They were plaid boxers of red and white, she noticed.

“Lloyd! I! Um..” Colette was trying to bundle up the clothes in her arms to not drop them, but she was probably wrinkling them this way. Well, wrinkling them more than they usually were. “I don’t. Um.”

“So you can switch out of those wet clothes! And mine will dry you up faster than a fire. They’re like super well-insulated and stuff!” He was looking so proud for a boy in nothing but his underwear. And his swords. At some point, he had put his belts back on so he could still carry his weapons around, and lean on them comfortably. Colette supposed he was probably really used to wearing them! That would explain why he always took them to bed whenever they slept…

Colette looked from the clothes to Lloyd, her face still so flushed at the sight of him shirtless. And pantsless. Not like she hadn’t seen him in little clothing before, like at the beach, but well, he was usually wearing a bit more than this.

“I… t-thank you, Lloyd! That’s really nice of you.” It really was. She knew how much Lloyd loved these clothes, too! And he was just giving them away to her? He didn’t need to do that at all, but she was shivering a lot.

Lloyd noticed that right away. “Hurry and change! You’re gonna catch a cold if you don’t!”

She looked again at the clothes, then back to him. “Um.. where can I…?”

Finally, it seemed that Lloyd could blush too. “O-oh! Right, ha. You can change in my room.” He scratched at his cheek. “Sorry. Probably should have brought you up there first.”

The very idea of Lloyd bringing Colette up to his room, stripping down to his bare essentials, and then expecting Colette to do the very same thing, made her brain overheat. She unconsciously looked downward, nearly planting her face in Lloyd’s bundled jacket that she still held. But that would be weird, wouldn’t it?

“It’s- it’s okay! Thank you! Sorry!” She was already rushing past him up the stairs, knowing instantly where his room was. Soon she was greeted to the sights of familiar potted plants that lined the shelves, and the carving table by his bedside, still scattered with tools and what looked like the golden chains of some jewelry. Her heart beat a little at the sight, made her reach for her own necklace – until she remembered Lloyd was waiting for her downstairs. She… she just had to change in his room! Into his own clothes. Not like he was in it right now!

She changed so quickly, she didn’t even realize it until she felt the baggy jacket over her arms. It was definitely larger than her small frame, and the pants were slipping around her waist too. But with a quick snap of some buttons, she was able to make them stay up. Buttoning up the jacket took a little more time though.

The outfit did not fit her at all, but she was already feeling so warm, despite her still soaked hair. Wow. Lloyd was right. These clothes really were well-insulated!

She rushed out of the room to show him, now dragging her wet dress in her arms. “Lloyd, I’m ready-”

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw one of the white ribbon strips that always strayed from Lloyd’s jacket collar. She always loved those. They looked so cute! She remembered how often she would reach out and pull at one of them to get his attention. It was really useful when he was in front of her and just out of arm’s reach! But his white ribbons would always flutter behind him, long enough for her to catch in her hands.

And right now, they were fluttering around her – all the way down to under her feet. Lloyd also gave her his own boots, which were two sizes too big. So maneuvering in these new shoes, along with the ribbons that did all they could to trip her, it was only inevitable she would fall.

“Aah!”

Heavy footsteps rushed to her, and she was caught in strong arms before she could tumble down the stairs and seriously hurt herself.

“Ah, geez, Colette! You gotta be more careful…”

She blinked into Lloyd’s bare chest, once again feeling her face flush. Oh. He was still not wearing much of anything. Except it looked like he now wore a towel around his waist. Also, still his swords. He really liked those swords.

“Y-yeah! Sorry about that, hehe.” She was about to leave his arms, but he was guiding her down the steps, not at all mindful that her wet clothes were pressed against his skin.

“Hm, these are probably not helping you right now, are they?” Lloyd reached around to catch those fluttering white strips, holding one end of it in his palm. “You’re shorter than me so I guess they’re a bit long for you..”

Lloyd sounded down about that, so Colette tried to fix that immediately. “No, it’s okay! I love them! They go well with my-” She was about to say her hair, but as she reached around for the other one, she then realized the strip was.. tangled up within her hair. She tried pulling it, but that only made her wince. “Um. Ow.”

Lloyd winced along with her. “Okay, okay, hold on. Don’t pull at it.” He went behind to carefully untangle both strip and hair from each other. In her numerous falls, Colette would always get something in her hair, like stray twigs, dried leaves, and even a bug or two. Lloyd, with his deft hands, would help flick away all those things so that he hair was free and clean once more. In barely any time at all, he did the same just now.

“Thanks..” she murmured. Her hands were slipping into her sleeves. His sleeves. They were so big on her, but she liked that feeling, of huddling within his clothes like this. “Sorry, I was just being careless again. Like usual…”

“Ah, come on, you dork.” But Lloyd didn’t move from behind her still. She could feel the slight tugging from her collar. Was this how it felt for him when she did that? “Still though… they’re too long for you.”

“I’ll be more careful! Promise!” She didn’t want to reject Lloyd’s gift, even if it was only temporary.

But he didn’t answer. Instead she still felt that tugging, gently so. His hands brushed her hair away from his neck, and the brief touch of his fingers on her skin sent a little shiver there. Not that she’d never felt his hand before but.. never over there. “Lloyd?”

“One sec,” he said, voice slightly distant. He was concentrating on something. The tugging on her neck continued. She could feel his hands working on something. But what?

“Okay, done!” Lloyd sounded so proud, and she turned to see that proud smile on his face. “Now you don’t have to worry about them anymore!”

Oh, she hoped he hadn’t removed them! She really did like those ribbons… if only her stupid clumsiness didn’t get in the way.

Lloyd mistook her disappointment for confusion. “Oh, right. You can’t see them. Here.” He again reached for her neck. With bated breath, she waited, feeling him move aside her hair again, feeling him slide his fingers across her skin. Then he was pressing at her jacket collar. Well, his jacket collar. But she was wearing it! And also… wait.

Curiosity got the best of her. She reached around her neck with her own hand. Fingers met Lloyd’s own, where they were placed against the back of the jacket collar. Something was tied up there? She felt around some more.

She gasped. “It’s a bow?”

Lloyd grinned. “That way you won’t trip over them! And they won’t get caught in your hair either.” He then gave a thumbs up. “It’s tight too, so it won’t loosen up for sure!”

She had to keep feeling it, so tempted to just turn around the jacket to see it fully. But she could already tell how it was done, with twin loops at each side. It was a perfect bow that Lloyd had made for her.

“Is… is it cute?” she asked quietly, then instantly regretted it. Ah, why did she have to make it weird like that?

Lloyd blinked at the question, but he only smiled more. “Yeah, I think it is. It looks cute on you!” Although when he said that, Lloyd’s cheeks turned pink. Maybe it was the heat from his dad’s workstation? “Although your hair kinda covers it up… maybe if you tied your hair up too…”

She stared at him. “Do you think I would look good with my hair up?”

Oh, why did she keep asking such strange questions?

“Um, h-how should I know?” Lloyd coughed. “I mean.. I think so..”

“Lloyd! Am I being locked out of my own house right now?”

At that, both jumped at the dwarf’s voice. Lloyd jumped the most out of the two. “Oh shoot. Hold on!” He then smiled at Colette. “We.. should probably go anyway.”

“Yeah.. yeah!” Colette nodded. Besides, she’d have to put her wet clothes away...

* * *

She really meant it when she said it had been nice of him to give her his clothes. Not at all ratty or torn or anything of the sort, like he said. They were comfortable and warm, and they were…

“Why’d you go and take off your clothes, boy? You know you got spare ones in your room.”

“…Oh, dammit. I do! Oops…Sorry, Colette…”

But she shook her head. She would rather these ones than any spares he had. They were probably all clean, unwrinkled, and unworn.

With what she wore right now, she was covered in his scent. She liked that. She liked that a lot.

She may or may not have whispered that once Lloyd rushed off to get one of his sets. (For all 7 days? Lloyd was really prepared!) And Dirk may or may not have heard that, beard lifting with his soft smile that she didn’t see, shaking his head at these fool kids in love.

She probably had a hair tie in one of her packs. Or could borrow one from Sheena. Sometimes it did feel nice to have her hair lifted, especially on hot days. But the truth was, she really wanted to show off Lloyd’s hard work, too. He always did make such beautiful things with his hands, from his whittled statues, to her necklace, and now to her bow.

She followed Lloyd back to Iselia and the others, those white ribbon strips fluttering behind him, like wings. Maybe she could try tying a bow on him, too! If he’d let her…

She grasped at one of them, gently pulling it to grab his attention. He turned.

“Huh? What is it, Colette?”

She figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask him now. After all, they were like twins now in these outfits! It’d be nice to match.


End file.
